The Devil Inside Me
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Byakuya has fallen from grace, and falls into the lap of the freed, but still Central 46 monitored and controlled, Sousuke Aizen. But...how 'controlled' is he really? And can he save Byakuya from the beast that seeks him? Will he even try? Aizen/Byakuya, Ichigo/Tetsuya, Grimmjow/Renji, mpregs!
1. Fallen Angel

**The Demon Inside Me**

**(Aizenmonth rages on! Yes, you see correctly! Despite a crushing workload, trying to restore work, move stories and update requested chapters, Spunky has started another lovely Aizenstory! Set after the quincy war, Aizen is free of the prison, but still closely monitored to prevent him from re-offending...or so it seems, anyway! What will happen when fate sends a wounded and fleeing Byakuya to his doorstep! Read on to find out...)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: Fallen Angel**

_It is quiet._

Sousuke Aizen reclined on a comfortable chaise lounge, looking up at the full moon. He breathed the cool, fresh evening air in slowly, listening contentedly to the whispers of wind through the trees, the occasional splashes of fish in the lake below the sprawling mansion he lived in, and the occasional utterances of night birds and insects.

_These used to be lonely sounds. But having been locked away and deprived of them, even these little things that were so meaningless before seem so pleasing to the senses._

_And in the wake of the chaos of the quincy war, this quiet, this peacefulness is truly a gift...although, it would be nice to share that with someone._

"Do you require anything else, sir?" his attendant asked, setting a tray bearing tea on the small table beside Aizen's chair.

"News, if you do not mind, Jun," Aizen answered, looking up at the young man, "You are aware that, as part of the agreement freeing me in exchange for my assistance in the war, I do not leave the mansion without Central 46 escort and I do not have visitors without the leave of the council. And you know exactly how many visitors they have allowed me."

"Yes, sir," the attendant acknowledged, bowing his head, "I understand. The council ordered six more executions of quincy prisoners who had killed more than a thousand of our kin. Rebuilding efforts are continuing, but there are shortages on resources. Kyouraku soutaichou has ordered that repairs be focused first on rebuilding our defenses, as there are still intermittent quincy attacks."

"Yes, I had an unauthorized visit from a quincy last night."

"Here?" the guard asked, his eyes widening, "But...!"

"You know that the reiatsu that encloses me does not repel them, because they just internalize that reiatsu and use it themselves."

"But...sir, how did you...?"

"He was not so interested in killing me as in questioning me. I believe that they are gathering what forces they have and meeting somewhere to make plans for some kind of secret strike. As you know, there are rumors that Juha Bach left sealed orders for the protection of the remaining quincies, should he fall. Not that he cared at all about them, but he needs some few to survive to revive him in a thousand years."

"Ah..."

Aizen gazed at the young man for a moment.

"I see I've unsettled you with this. My apologies, Jun. I know that you do not like having to serve me."

"Nonsense, Mr. Aizen, sir. I am fine with serving you. You saved many lives by helping our forces. It does not excuse your betrayal, but..."

"It does entitle me to some level of respect, I see," Aizen said, smiling, "Is that all of the news?"

"Hmmm, well, there is something going around about the Kuchiki clan."

"Oh?"

"Byakuya Kuchiki was said to have collapsed in his gardens at Kuchiki Manor."

"Hmmm."

"He had been injured in the final battles, but was supposedly recovering, so it took everyone by surprise. Then, word came about that he was very ill. The Kuchiki clan made a general statement that he was ill and that leadership of the clan had been temporarily turned over to a regent...a cousin...Orochi Kuchiki."

"I see."

"Nothing more has come about. The clan has asked for their privacy to be respected in the matter."

"Of course. I am surprised that they allowed this much to get out."

He smiled at the younger man and nodded.

"Thank you, Jun. That will be all."

"Yes, sir."

He watched the young man leave, then rose and walked to the edge of his balcony. He looked up into the beautifully lit sky, remembering.

_Thunder rumbled through the otherwise quiet confines of the retreat cabin, bringing him awake as rain began to pelt down on the roof, and another flash of light brightened the room for a moment. Aizen blinked and looked around, frowning as another sound reached his ears. Curious, he climbed out of bed and left the bedroom. The sound rose up again as he walked down the hallway...a soft, insistent knocking._

_"I wonder who this is..."_

_He opened the door to find a young man there, one so drenched with the rain that, at first, he did not know who he was looking at. But it was clear enough that the young man was injured, and in need of healing._

_"Come in," he said, motioning towards the interior of the cabin, "You have obviously been hurt. How did this happen?"_

_The young man brushed several long strands of soaking wet black hair away from his eyes, then blinked in surprise._

_"Captain Aizen? I did not know you lived here," he said, his body shivering from the cold as he spoke._

_"Byakuya?" he answered, his eyes growing as curious as they were concerned, "What happened to you?"_

_He shook his head gently and motioned for the young man to enter the cabin._

_"But, come in. You can explain what happened while I heal you. Shall I notify your grandfather to send reinforcements?"_

_"No!" Byakuya said, with unexpected urgency._

_Then, he seemed to realize that he had overreacted._

_"I am sorry," he corrected himself, "I meant to say it is not necessary. It...was not an official duty, but...an encounter that I would rather not report."_

_Aizen raised an eyebrow._

_"I see. Well, I have no reason to report anything if you handled the situation and there is no remaining danger."_

_"I handled it," Byakuya assured him, "And I thank you for your discretion."_

_He stepped into the cabin and paused in the entryway as Aizen left for a moment, then returned with a towel and a dry yukata. Byakuya accepted the towel and took the excess moisture off of his skin, then looked about questioningly._

_"You may change here," Aizen informed him, "I need to heal you anyway."_

_"O-of course," the noble said softly, glancing at Aizen's dark eyes for a moment, then looking away._

_"I had a lovely time at your coming of age ball," Aizen said, moving closer as Byakuya removed his wet top and laid it over a drying rack near the door, "I think everyone did. Ginrei is very proud of how you have come along. It was the happiest I've seen him in some time. He took your father's passing very hard."_

_"We all did," Byakuya replied softly, his eyes flitting to the side as Aizen's hand touched his chest, sending healing reiatsu into a jagged slash that ran nearly to his shoulder, "But, it is good to regain some sense of narmalcy."_

_"Still, you must miss him very much. Soujun was well liked by everyone who knew him."_

_"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "he was."_

_"This is a fairly deep wound," the elder shinigami observed, "Would you mind telling me what happened?"_

_"Hollow hound," the noble said in a clipped voice._

_"Hmmm, yes, it is that kind of wound. But don't hollow hounds hunt in packs?" Aizen asked calmly._

_"I killed the rest easily. But there is always one who is stronger, who leads the pack. He gave me some trouble, but I managed, in the end, to dispatch him."_

_Aizen's hand moved several strands of black hair aside, and his eye caught an odd marking on Byakuya's right shoulder. He opened his mouth to ask about it, but closed it again as he realized that the marking was actually some kind of seal, and that the seal was protected by an immensely strong illusion._

_But no illusion could fool the eyes of a man who commanded such things._

_He continued to heal the noble, watching curiously out of the corner of an eye as the young man changed, then coaxing him into sitting down on the sofa to continue his healing._

_"You are quite fortunate, Byakuya. Taking on a pack of hollow hounds is not an easy task...not to mention the fact that many hollow hounds are the minions of very powerful hollows. These must have been...strays."_

_"So it seems," Byakuya agreed, shivering again as Aizen finished the last of the healing and left to make tea. _

_He returned several minutes later and found Byakuya curled up and sleeping on the couch. Rather than disturb him, he laid a warm blanket over the young man and went off to bed, himself, still thinking about that unusual hidden seal on Byakuya's shoulder._

"I never did learn anything more about that seal," Aizen whispered, looking up at the moon and blinking slowly.

As his eyes opened again, he found himself looking at a senkaimon that had opened up in the sky above his grounds. A dark, ragged form stood in the opening, teetering for a moment, then falling, headfirst, towards the ground. Aizen launched himself off of the balcony, engaging the only power that Central 46 had allowed him, and capturing the falling person in his arms. He set down on the ground in his gardens, and set the person down on the ground. Leaning over the person, he determined, first, that this was a male shinigami...and second, that it was the very one he had been thinking about only moments before.

"Byakuya!" he whispered, looking down at the Kuchiki clan leader's pale, tormented face.

His breath caught at the haunted look in Byakuya's lovely gray eyes as they opened and fixed on him.

"Sousuke Aizen!" he panted softly, "Please...you...cannot let them...see me!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Orochi Kuchiki stood triumphantly over the huddled forms of three bound shinigamis, glaring down at them through cold, furious black eyes. His had gripped the hilt of his zanpakutou, and he brought the tip of the weapon to the back of one of his captive's necks, watching as the young man at his feet flinched and caught his breath.

"Tell me where he is!" he demanded, "I have no problem killing you, Tetsuya. I have wanted to for a long time, anyway. If you don't tell me..."

"Go to hell, you bastard!" Tetsuya hissed, venemously, "I don't know where he is and I would never betray him to you, even if I did know!"

"Even now that we all know what he really is?" Orochi asked icily, "You saw it, ne? You saw it, and you looked as though you weren't surprised. You were part of it, weren't you? You knew what he was, but being a filthy half-blood, yourself, you let him fool all of the rest of us! You let that bastard run the clan, knowing the whole time that he was..."

"Yes, I knew!" Tetsuya cried, "I knew and I kept his secret. Lord Byakuya rescued me from the prison, and I owed him my life. If you take it because I protected him, then it is worth it. Go ahead, Orochi! Go ahead and kill me. I will never help you, so I am useless to you."

Orochi's hand clenched harder where he held his weapon, and he could barely hold himself back from carrying through on his threat. His brutally handsome face twisted in rage and he set his foot down on Tetsuya's back, making the younger man gasp in pain as he continued.

"You think it will be that easy for you, you little worm! No such luck, I am afraid. I am going to have you go before the elders. And you know that they have the means to make you talk to us...about what you knew, when you learned it, and what else you may be hiding! We are going to find the _former Lord Byakuya_, and when we do, he will be executed alongside you and these other two traitors!"

He turned to the guards standing warily behind him, his long, black braid whipping angrily around his shoulders as he moved.

"Take them to the family prison, and make sure that they do not escape. They know where he has gone, and we are not going to let them escape!"

"Yes, sir, Lord Orochi!" the guards exclaimed, fearfully.

They moved forward and dragged the three prisoners to their feet.

You assholes can't do this!" Renji Abarai exclaimed furiously, "Rukia and I are officers of the military! You can't just lock us up without a hearing!"

"He's right!" yelled Rukia as she was brought to her feet, "Captain Ukitake is going to..."

"He won't be able to do anything," Orochi laughed, shaking his head, "We are a noble family. We don't take orders from the military! Take them away!"

He watched as the three were led away, then turned to his attendant.

"Did you find those attendants and the stallion, like I asked you to?" he queried.

The young man in front of him, shivered as he answered.

"No sir. They escaped the manor before we could apprehend them. We believe they headed for the Shiba clan's manor."

"That makes sense," Orochi growled softly, "That stinking, half-blooded cousin of mine shares a bed with the Shiba heir. Of course they would go to him. But Ichigo Shiba will be harder for me to finesse than someone else would be. This will take some doing."

He whispered a soft command to his zanpakutou, then watched as a wicked looking black mamba appeared in front of him.

"Seek Ichigo Shiba and monitor his movements. I want to know if those traitors went to him. And if they did, you are to inform me at once. I don't want them to escape. I have worked too hard to ensure that this makes an end of that peasant-loving cousin of mine. I cannot afford to have him slip through my fingers and escape!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"This is quite nostalgic," Sousuke Aizen observed, fixing his quiet brown eyes on the injured shinigami in his bed, "I hope you will forgive me for having you share a bed with me. But you did say that you did not wish for anyone to know that you are here. And being that you are unconscious from your injuries, you appear not to mind."

Aizen found an unbidden smile on his lips.

"You have long intrigued me, Byakuya Kuchiki. And although we had little contact with each other after that night, so long ago, I have thought about you more than a few times. I wonder about what I discovered when you came to my cabin that night. We never spoke of it. You didn't even know that I knew. But...I wonder now if that has anything to do with why you came to me tonight. Were you running away? Why would you flee your own clan? And when you ran, were you running blindly? Or could you have been running to me? Why would even trust me? After what I did, why would you do that?"

He studied Byakuya's face intently as the noble frowned and moaned incoherently.

"There now, I have healed your wounds. You will be all right now. And...no one will be able see you. You see...although the Central 46 council refused to allow me use of my recovered powers, they underestimated me. I still command my own powers of illusion. And having parted with the hougyoku, I have recovered Kyouka Suigetsu as well. Whatever it is that you need, then, I can help you. But, rest now. You have obviously endured too much as of late. I wonder if..."

He paused at the sound of knocking on the door to his manor, then listened as his guard and attendant answered the door.

"I have come from Kuchiki Manor to scan the area for signs of the traitor, Byakuya Kuchiki. He has escaped Kuchiki Manor and is fleeing from justice."

"What is it?" asked Jun, "What has Lord Byakuya done to be labeled a traitor?"

"That is a clan secret," the man at the door informed Jun, "I am sorry, but that can only be revealed with council permission. It is enough to say that he has egregiously violated our laws, and we are seeking to arrest him so that he can stand trial for his crimes. If you see him, please inform us at once. We will see that you and Sir Aizen are rewarded for returning him to us. Tell Sir Aizen that we will, of course, offer him some additonal privileges, should he be helpful in recovering Lord Byakuya."

Aizen listened to the sound of the front door closing, then smiled as Jun entered his bedroom.

"What was that?" he asked calmly.

"They were guards from the Kuchiki council of elders," Jun explained, "Apparently, Lord Byakuya has committed a crime, and they want to arrest him. They say that they will approach the Central 46 council and gain more freedoms for you, if you assist in capturing him and returning him to them."

"Ah, of course. I will help, if I see him," Aizen replied, smirking inwardly at the fact that Byakuya was lying next to him, and the guard and attendant was none the wiser, "That will be all for the night, Jun."

"Very well, Sir Aizen. Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight," Aizen answered, watching as the young man left the room, "So...you are a fugitive. Interesting. And I wonder what you will tell me when you wake. You are wuite the stimulating enigma, Byakuya Kuchiki."


	2. The Awakening

**Chapter 2: The Awakening**

Byakuya moved sluggishly and opened a dark, anxious eye. The room around him slowly came into focus, and he studied the unfamiliar decor for several minutes before realizing that he was not alone in the bed he occupied. His soft sound of surprise made the man next to him stir in his sleep. Byakuya's eyes widened as the shock of recognition fell over him. He moved enough to register that, to his surprise, he was not bound or restrained as he had been at Kuchiki Manor.

_Thank kami! I seem to have made my escape._

His heart jumped into his throat as the bedroom door opened and an attendant stepped into the room. He sat up, barely noticing that the man next to him had done the same and was giving the young attendant a look of welcome.

_What is...going on here?_

"Thank you, Jun," Aizen said, ignoring Byakuya's presence entirely, "I am extra hungry this morning. I appreciate the additional effort."

"It is no trouble, sir," Jun answered, leaving the tray and departing the room.

Aizen seemed to continue to ignore Byakuya's presence, working quietly at his meal for a few minutes, then surprising Byakuya by looking directly at him.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, smirking at the noble, "Some of this is for you, you know. Go ahead. I assure you, it is not poisoned."

He registered the confused look the noble gave him, and continued on.

"Oh, so you weren't aware that it was _my_ gardens you were tumbling down into. And I thought you had come to see me...perhaps that you missed me?"

Byakuya blinked and shook his head as if to clear it, then looked at Aizen again.

"Sousuke?" he said, frowning, "What is going on here? How did I...?"

"As I said," Aizen went on, taking another bite of food, then handing Byakuya a fork, "You fell into my gardens. Or, actually, into my arms. But I don't think that's a bad thing...not for me, anyway."

"That attendant," the noble mused, "He did not see me?"

"No."

"How is that?" Byakuya asked, tensing, "I was told that Central 46 had destroyed Kyouka Suigetsu and sealed your powers away, except for use of your flash step. How then, were you able to conceal me in plain sight?"

"Well," Aizen said, a bit smugly, "As they say, not everything is as it seems. Obviously, my powers are not so _sealed away_ as they think. But, before you have any delusions of telling anyone about that, you should know that your clan is pursuing you...pursuing you and offering me additional comforts if I should happen to help them find you."

His lips quirked somewhat wickedly.

"So...what _comforts_ might you offer me to keep my mouth shut about you being here...or to keep it too busy to speak, peerhaps...?"

Byakuya let out a disgusted breath and started to climb out of the bed, only to be stayed by a surprisingly gentle touch on his arm.

"Oh, don't be offended," Aizen said, going back to his meal, "I was only teasing...in part, at least. I don't expect you to sleep with me to keep me quiet...although..."

"I am _not _going to sleep with you!" Byakuya snapped, recovering some of his composure, "And if I am to stay, I would like my own room and bed."

"But that's not going to work at all," Aizen insisted, "You see, I can conceal you easily like this, but how would I explain Jun needing to drop off and pick up food trays from a room that is supposedly not being used? The missing supplies and additional beds to make and clothes to clean...and me not having permission to have anyone for company. But, don't worry, Byakuya. I will not tell anyone you are here, nor will I attempt to assault you while you sleep. I am simply pleased to have company. And I am curious as to why you are in so much trouble."

"That is private," Byakuya said, his lips tightening rebelliously, "And if it is a condition of my staying here that I have to tell you that, then I will leave now."

"I doubt you would get very far," Aizen said, returning his attention to his food, "Even if not for the vigorous pursuit by your clan, you are recovering from injuries...injuries that seem somewhat _familiar_. Hollow hounds, was it? Again, Byakuya?"

Byakuya gave him a soft glare and said nothing, but quietly accepted a bite of offered food.

"So, it was."

"That is very odd. But enough about that. You should focus on resting and eating. You need to get your strength back if you expect to evade the one looking for you. But, if I may ask, what are you planning to do, once you are recovered enough to leave? Will you abandon me, Byakuya? Leave me stranded here and bored out of my mind?"

"Well, I wouldn't be so dastardly as to loose you again on the three worlds," the noble said, regaining some of his dry sense of humor as the food warmed him inside, "But, the truth is, I don't know what I'll do. There may be nothing I _can _do to stop what is coming."

"And that is?"

"Private," the two men said together.

"You know, Byakuya," Aizen said, looking into the clan leader's troubled eyes, "I am a liar, a traitor, and I wouldn't dare call myself 'friend' or 'colleague' to you anymore. But, if you have something on your hands that you find untenable, I could be of some help. You needn't worry about me attempting to take over the world again. Even though I have my powers back, I lack the hougyoku, and therefore, have no means to overwhelm the soul king."

"I feel so much better," Byakuya sighed, "Thank you for your dubious offer, but I can handle this.

He laid back on his pillow, looking up at the ceiling and blinking slowly. Aizen gazed at him quietly for a moment, then set the tray aside and leaned over him, meeting the noble's eyes for permission. Byakuya gave him a look of warning, then relaxed under the other man's hands, letting his eyes slide shut and letting Aizen's powerful healing kido work its way into his body, relieving the pain and letting him sleep comfortably again.

Aizen rested quietly at his side, afterward, watching Byakuya sleep. When he was sure that the noble slept deeply, he leaned over him again and quickly located the seal that had been on his shoulder all of those years before. The seal remained, still concealed by that same impenetrable spell, but as he studied it more closely, he felt an uncomfortable, powerful presence in the seal's reiatsu.

"Curious..." he whispered, withdrawing to think on the matter, then giving himself finally over to sleep again.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Miki!" a voice hissed softly, making the startled attendant come awake suddenly, his blue eyes wide and frightened, until he saw who had roused him.

Beside him, another youth sat up and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

The two took in the familiar slender forms of Torio and Koji Kuchiki, and through the window peeked the equine face of Koji's master's black Arabian stallion.

"Torio! Koji! Arashi! What are you doing here so early in the morning? And coming in through the window? What is going on? Are we under attack?"

"No!" Torio answered quickly, laying a hand on his shoulder to stop him from getting up to summon the guards, "Sorry for waking you and Rikichi, and there was no attack, but we are in trouble. Or rather, our masters are in trouble."

"Wh-what happened?" the Shiba attendant asked, blinking to clear his sleepy eyes, "Did the quincies...?"

"It wasn't the quincies," Koji said urgently, "Our cousin, Orochi, who has been leading since Lord Byakuya became ill has tried to kill Lord Byakuya! They were in Lord Byakuya's room, and they were arguing."

"Then," Torio added, "We heard howling and barks and snarls. There was fighting in the gardens, but it was dark. We couldn't see what was happening. Masters Tetsuya and Renji and Lady Rukia ran out into the garden and joined the fight. We know that Lord Byakuya was injured and fled into a senkaimon. Then, Orochi had the others arrested and taken to the council hall! He wanted to capture us too, but Master Tetsuya told us to flee on Arashi, and we didn't know where else to go. Arashi thought here would be best, because his master is Shiba Ichigo's fiancé."

"You say that Renji was arrested as well?" asked the young man at Miki's side.

"Yes, Rikichi," Torio answered him, "As you know, he has been staying at Kuchiki Manor to protect Lord Byakuya, ever since he became ill."

"We should go to my cousin," said Miki, "I don't think even Orochi Kuchiki would confront him."

The two youths in the bed rose and wrapped warm robes around themselves, then led the Kuchiki brothers down the hallway, towards Ichigo's bedroom. Halfway there, they heard the sound of knocking and the night guard opening the house doors. The four young men hastened to Ichigo's door and slipped into his room, where Miki gently woke his master.

"Master Ichigo!" he called softly, but urgently, "Master Ichigo, there is trouble, sir!"

"Wh-wha...? Where?" Ichigo mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"I assure you that no one has come to the manor tonight. I have been here all night!" the young men heard the agitated guard say in the distance.

"We know that they came to see Lord Ichigo!" insisted the men at the door, "Let us in, by order of the Kuchiki clan leader!"

"Man, I hate it when they call me that. Get in the closet," Ichigo ordered them softly.

Then, he left the bedroom and flash stepped to the front door.

"Hey!" he said warningly, glaring at the men who were trying to enter, "The Kuchiki clan leader doesn't give orders to my family. Back off and get out of here, before I have to kick your asses out!"

"I am sorry, Lord Ichigo, but we must insist. Lord Byakuya has been possessed by some sort of devil, and he has fled the manor! Those attendants helped him to escape. We have to find them if we are to apprehend our leader."

"Well, I'll be glad to help you look for Byakuya," Ichigo offered, "He's my friend, and if he's in trouble, I'm gonna be there for him."

"Th-thank you, Lord Ichigo," the Kuchiki head guard said hesitantly, "But...you say that Torio and Koji Kuchiki have not come here? Has Master Tetsuya's Arashi?"

"Hah!" laughed Ichigo, "If my pretty finace's horse was here, we'd all know it! That thing's a pain in the ass, always glaring at me and trying to sneak in a nip or kick while Tetsuya's not looking. Guess he's just looking out for his master, though, so I put up with him. Anyway, none of them are here. So, I'll tell you what. If I see them, I'll send you guys a hell butterfly, okay?"

"W-well, okay, then, Lord..."

"Stop calling me that. It's just Ichigo."

"Thank you Ichigo."

"Get outta here and let me sleep now, okay?"

"V-very well, sir. Thank you, sir. We are sorry to have disturbed you."

"No problem."

"I am sorry, sir," said the Shiba house guard, "They shouldn't have disturbed you."

"Eh, it's all right," said Ichigo, "No harm done. I'm gonna go back to sleep."

He yawned and ambled back to his room, closing the door behind him, then calling the concealed attendants out of the closet.

"All right, guys, they're gone. You can come out."

"Thank you!" Torio exclaimed, "I was scared to death when they showed up. Lord Orochi hates my brother and me, because we are loyal to Lord Byakuya and Master Tetsuya. We will have no chance at a fair hearing if we are captured...and if we do not rescue Master Tetsuya, Master Renji and Lady Rukia, they might be _executed_ for helping Lord Byakuya escape!"

"I'm not gonna let that happen," Ichigo promised, digging through the closet and finding his shihakushou, "As soon as I'm dressed, we're gonna go to the Kuchiki council hall and get them out of there!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Sousuke Aizen laid deeply in sleep, his mind drifting and his senses pleasantly intoxicated by the scent of the lovely noble who shared his bed. He turned in his sleep, his arms slipping around the other man's slender body and sliding beneath his clothes to enjoy the soft skin underneath. Such a thing should have aroused the ire of the Kuchiki clan leader. But Byakuya only sighed sweetly in his sleep and curled more deeply into Sousuke Aizen's arms as the seal on his shoulder pulsed and throbbed oddly, sending strange flickers of reiatsu through him, and awakening the dark presence that had been plaguing him.

Byakuya's eyes opened slowly, the centers glowing golden and red surrounding the usual steely gray. His lips parted and a soft, hungry sigh escaped him as he glared at the man who held him and turned, seeking the warm flesh of the man's throat.

Aizen felt warm breath tickle his neck and opened his eyes, then they rounded in surprise as they took in the lovely spectacle of Byakuya, his eyes wickedly possessed and his pretty lips curled back to reveal sharp, white fangs. His body and eyes glowed hypnotically, and the captivated shinigami stared appreciatively, while holding him carefully away.

"What is this?" he asked in a curious, breathy whisper, "Is this what you've been hiding? How did this happen? How did you come to be like this?"

Byakuya lunged forward, forcing the other man down on his back and seeking his throat again. A snarl of impatience escaped him as Aizen swiftly invoked his power to mute the sounds of their conflict, then he locked his body against Byakuya's and threw the two of them off the bed and onto the floor.

"As much as I would love to let you sink those teeth into me, I think I had best stop you," Aizen said, smirking as he held the noble down and looked deeply into his furious, oddly colored eyes, "You are obviously not yourself. But, you must, at some level, be aware of that, ne? Can you regain control of it? Or does it control you?"

Byakuya growled savagely, nearly pulling free of Aizen's sure grip and loosing an enraged howl that rang in Aizen's ears. The shinigami scanned the noble's reiatsu and quickly discovered the pulsation of the strange seal.

"So...it is that," he murmured, touching the seal with his own reiatsu.

An image rose up suddenly in his mind, of a huge, fierce looking creature, a nightmarish demon with hateful black and golden eyes that glared at him from within his mind's eye.

_You!_

Aizen sucked in a surprised breath and tore away from Byakuya, watching as the reiatsu around the seal stopped the pulsation and went dormant again. The air around the noble shimmered brightly, and a moment later, Byakuya's eyes and teeth returned to normal and the glow around his body faded. He stared at Aizen dazedly for a moment, barely registering his presence, then collapsed onto the floor.

A moment later, piercing howls shattered the peace outside his home.

"Hollow hounds," he breathed, leaving Byakuya where he was and moving to the window.

His breath caught in surprise as he spotted, not hollow hounds, but a dangerous pack of spirit wolves, pacing about his gardens.

"What in kami's name...?" he mused.

He summoned Kyouka Suigetsu and swiftly invoked his bankai, strengthening the illusion around Byakuya until the spirit wolves looked about discontentedly and slowly dispersed and disappeared. He watched until the last had gone, then lifted the noble back into bed, shaking his head in admonishment.

"You should have told me about this that first night. I might have had power on the level that the nightmare that hunts you possesses, back then. But now...only the strongest of my illusions conceals you from him. And if he finds you, I cannot say how it will end."

He looked out into the night sky, an icy chill invading his body as he looked up at the crescent moon.

"That thing...that monster," he whispered, "is a transcendent being."


End file.
